The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-06-23

NhC~s ~ AAe NN-y NhA pnluc AA4IOhbA
lie dimress of your failipg eyesight. Be-
hold Him, earth; behold Him, Heavenl
What moment Wien all tie ations Of
the saved shall gather around Christ! All
faces that way; all thrones tl.at way, gaz-
ing on Jesus.
His worth, all tho nations knew,
Sure ther~so:e earth would love him too.
l pass on now. and look at Stephen
stoned. The world has always wanted to
get rid of good men. Their very life is an
assault upon wlckedness. Cut with
Stephen through the gates Of the city.
Down with him over the precipices. Let
every man come up and dropa stone upon
his head. But these men did not so much,
kill Stephen as they killed themselves.
Every stone reboundtd upon them. While
these muiderers were transfxed by the
scorn of all good men, Stephen lives in The
admiration OF all Chrisiians. Stephen
stoned; but Stephen alive. So all good
men must be pelted. All who will I've
godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecu-
tion. 1t is no eu.ogy of man 20 say that
everybody likes him. Show me any one
who is doing his duty to state or church
and l will show you scores OF men who
utterly abhor him.
If all men spaak we'll of you it is because
you are either a lacgGsd or dolt. If
steamer makes rapid progress through the
waves the water will boil and foam all
around it. Brave soldiers of Jesus Christ
will hea: the curbines click. When l see n
man with voice and money and influence all
on the right side, and ECme carlo. ture him
and some sneer at him and some denounco
him, and man who pretend to be actuated
by right motives 'coIspire TO cripl Il HIN, tc
1,,t 4
"Stephen stoned" When / see a man il
some gre { moral or re e'igious ref, rm lat
Ting against glog shops, exposing wicked
ness in high places, V tive means II ing
to purify the church and better the worlds
estate, and | find that the newspapers
anathemi2e him, and men, even good mer,
oppose him and denounce him, because,
though he does good, he does not do It in
their way, say: "> tephen stoned" The
world, with infinite spie. took after John
Frederick Obellin, and 7 obert Nofat, ard
Paul, and Stephen of the text But yon
notice, my friends, that while they rs ,nulted
him they did not succeed really in killir g
him. You may assault good man, but
you cannot kill him. On the day of Lis
death, eplen spoke before few people
in the Sanhedr M this abDath moru lie
addresses all Chlistendom. Paul, TIE
apostle, stood on Mars Hill Oddl essing &
handful OF ph losophers knew not .
much about science as modern school
girl. To-day he talks "a III the millions Ct
Christendom about the wonders of 5usd+-
cation. John Wesley was howled down ly
the mob to whom lie preached and they
threw bricks at him, and they denounced
him, and iostled hirl, and they spat upon
Inn. and yet TO-DAY, in all lands. ne IS
al L. IL. . L., 4 IN.
oGism. Eooth's bullet vacated the resi-
dental char, but from tl.tt spot OF
codgulHted hlood on the foor in the TX
of Tord's theater there srrana mp he
new Ii Of nation. Stephen stoned; ut
Stephen alive,
Pass on Eow. and see Stephen i'll his
dying Yer. HIS irsl thought was not
how the Il, mes hurt his head, nor w.;at
would become of his body. His i.st
thoupht was about Lis spirit. "!-ord Jesus,
receive my spirit" The urd rer Stan,l-
ing on the trap door, the bla cap being
drawn over his head before the execution.
may grimace al out the future; but you and
have no shame in confes-ing some anXi, ty
about where we are going 10 come out. You
are rot all body. There is within you a
soul. see it CLEAN rom your eyes to- day,
and sec it dating your ountenance.
Sometimes l am GasAed before an au i
ence, no, because l come under your rhy-
sical eyesigLt, Int because l realize the
truth that / stand before so many immor-
tai spirits. TIE probability is that your
body will at last find a sepulture in some
of The cemeteries that surround this city,
There is no doubt but that you will be able
to pillow your head under the maple, or the
Norway spruce, OF the cypress, or the blos-
soming fir; but this spirit about which
Stephen prayed, what direction will il
take2 What guide will escort it? What
gate will open to re ei-c it? What cloud
will be clet! for its pathway After it has
| got beyond tie lgat of our sun, will there
be torches lighted for it the rest O. the wayi
Will the soul have to travel through long
deserts before it reaches the good land!
If We should lose our pathway, viii there
be castle at whose gate We may ask the
way to the city? o, this mysterious spirit
within us! 1t has two wings, but it is in z
cage now. 1t shocked st to keep it; but
let the door of this cage open the least, and
that soul is OH. Eagles wings could no,
catch it. The liehtn! !ngs are not swift
enough 10 take up with it. When the SOU
leaves the lody it takes fifty wor Dis at {
bound. And have | no anxiety about iii
Have YOU no anxiety about it?' do mo-
care what you do with my body when my
soul is gone, or WHITTIER you believe il
cremation or inhumation. Shall sleer
just as well in wrapping Of sackcloth az
in satin lined with eagles down. But my
soul-before leave this house this morn.
ing will find out where it is going to land
Thank God for the intimation of my text
that when we die Jesus takes us. Tha
answers all questions for me. Wha
though there were massive bars between
here and the city of light; Jesus could re.
move them. What though there were great
Saharas of darkness; Jesus could illume
them. What though 1 get weary on The
way; Christ could lift me on His omuipo-
tent shoulder. What though there we're
chasms to cross; His hand could transport
me. Then let Stephens PRAYER be nv
dying litany-"Lord Jesus, receive nv
spirit" 1t may be in that hour we will be
too feeble to say long rayer; it may be
we will not be able TO say the Lords prayer,
for 1t has seven petitions. Perhaps we may
be too feeble even TO say the infant PRAYER
our mothers taught us, which John Quincy
Adams, ~ years of age, said every night
when he put his head upon his pillow.
Now lay l.. own to sleep,
l Ipray the Lord my soul to keep.
\ We may be too feeble to employ either Of
these familiar forms; but this prayer of
Stephen is so short, is so concise, is SO
! earnest, is 80 comprehensive, we surely
will be able to say that: Lord Jesus, re-
( ceive my spirit" Oh, if that prayer is
answered, how sweet it will be 10 die! This
world is clever enough to us. Perhaps il
has treated us a great deal better than we
deserved to be treated; but if OH. the dying
pillow there shall break the light of that
better world, we shall have no more regret
about leaving small, dark, damp house
for one large, beautiful and capacious.
That dying minister in Philadelphia, some
years ago, beautifully depicted it when. in
the last moment, he threw up his hands
and cried out: